My Dying Bride has always been a band that consistently puts out high-quality releases and their latest opus could just be their greatest album to date. Feel The Misery is a very melancholy and emotionally-driven album, with the title being an especially apt choosing because you really can feel the gloom and misery being emitted from the tracks – which is arguably exactly what you want from a doom release.
The masterful use of ethereal and sorrowful melodies alongside crushingly heavy instrumentation adds so much more body and substance to the music and engages you as a listener a lot more. It makes for a wholly immersive listen that will grip you from start to finish. The title track, Feel The Misery, is perhaps one of the best examples of this. The clean vocals at the start are simplistic but very effective as they swiftly worm their way into your head which results in them having a bigger impact when the line is repeated with the full band behind them. Additionally, the violin on this one is especially well-delivered, linking up each section of the song seamlessly with the last.
There’s plenty of other fantastic inclusions to be contending with too, with songs such as My Father Left Forever, which is a previously revealed track from Feel The Misery, and I Almost Loved You is a particularly impactful listen. This is a track that sees My Dying Bride break away from the norm somewhat with a completely melodic and stripped-back piece that showcases a gentler side whilst not losing any of the emotiveness and darkness that the band is so good at creating.
If you’re looking for one of the essential albums of 2015 then look no further than here. Feel The Misery will remain in your subconscious for long after you’ve finished listening to it, getting under your skin and worming its way into your head before you know it. This is not an album that you’ll only be able to listen to once – this is something you’ll want to return to time and time again.
10/10
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